Imagine that you are standing in front of a mirror, and instead of observing your general appearance, all you can detect are those small yet vivid strands of gray hair and those wrinkles plastered on top of your forehead—clear signs of aging. However, what if someone told you that these symptoms of aging could be delayed? Well, in gratitude to the new skin research conducted by the Human Cell Atlas, that dream might finally come true.
The Human Cell Atlas research program, one of the most prestigious in biology, has the human anatomy’s capability to produce skin out of stem cells through recreating small quantities of skin in its lab. For those who do not know what stem cells are, they are a special type of cells found commonly throughout the body, including the brain, blood vessels, bone marrow, skin, teeth, and heart. They serve the purpose of developing into various types of cells in the body and function as a repair system. The purpose of this study is to comprehend how the human body is formed by studying one cell at a time.
During their experiment, scientists discovered that immune cells play an essential role in the development of blood vessels in the skin. Extending upon this idea, they were able to imitate the manufacturing instructions of growing skin in a lab. With the use of chemicals to turn on or off specific genes from operating at the precise time and in the correct areas, scientists were able to artificially grow miniscule blobs of skin from stem cells; these blobs of skin eventually grew tiny hairs similar to the behavior of natural skin. Once researchers obtained the instructions on how to create human skin, they excitedly published them in the science journal, Nature, which allowed scientists around the globe to take on new exhilarating opportunities in research.
The discovery of producing skin can potentially lead to numerous benefits that will ameliorate the fields of physiology, anatomy, and medicine, providing astonishing insights that contribute to understanding the human body. Synthetic skin will play a vital role during tissue transplant surgeries, especially for burn patients, as this skin will not scar. In fact, scientists have confirmed that foetal skin does not show any signs of scarring. Additionally, studying artificial skin can educate scientists on how skin diseases develop, which will help them develop cures.. However, artificial skin will also allow those suffering from wrinkled skin to have smooth skins from their past.
“If we can manipulate the skin and prevent aging, we will have fewer wrinkles,” Professor Muzlifah Haniffa of the Wellcome Sanger Institute told BBC.
Not only will this discovery enable elders to obtain healthy tissue, but it may also lead to the rejuvenation of organs. It can also reassure people suffering from baldness, as researchers can use the same techniques for producing skin to create hair follicles, generating hair growth.
If you are impressed by this new breakthrough, you haven’t seen anything yet, as this is just the beginning. Genetic instructions will be published in the future for constructing healthier body parts in the upcoming weeks or months , all in contribution to obtaining a better picture of the human anatomy. As the science community continues to make new discoveries, it seems as though we may no longer have to stress about the consequences of aging.
